OWENSBORO, Ky. (7/11/13) – Few if any members of the business community in Owensboro or the tri-state don’t know the name of Kevin Riecke.

When Kevin passed away earlier this week, it was hard for many of us who knew him and worked with him in radio over the decades, to imagine him gone. Kevin was just one of those people who was bursting with energy and positive attitude, in every situation.

During the time I worked with Kevin, I learned something very quickly. Kevin had a sincere passion for making sure radio served its original purpose: to entertain and, much more importantly, to inform the public each and every day of what was happening in our community. When I worked under Kevin's supervision, even though I had been in the business for over 20 years, he taught me many valuable lessons in how to make a station a success. His method was simple: local, local, local!

If a non-profit group, or someone in need, entered the doors of our station, Kevin took that as a sign that action should be taken to help, whether it was United Way, The American Cancer Society, the scouts, a regional blood drive, or any other group you could think of.

Kevin had a true passion for using the airwaves for the good of those in need in the community, and his commitment was unstoppable. When the group of radio stations where we worked covered events such as the Daviess County Fair, or the International Barbecue Festival, Relay for Life or Jerry's Kids. Whatever the need, Kevin stepped up, did the hard work, and somehow still had time to write and record commercials, and to go out and hit the street selling radio ads. Kevin lead by example and his example never faltered.

One thing you seldom saw was Kevin sitting down. He was, it seemed, always in motion, always focusing on what needed to be done, and he spread that enthusiasm to our staff. He continually spread his love of Owensboro and Daviess County through acts of kindness, and the many of us who worked with him could not help but share in his passion to always work constructively in the community.

As we say "Goodbye" to a man who managed to put his wife and five children first, even while working at a dedicated pace hard to match, one can sum up Kevin as a dedicated husband and father, a hard working member of the tri-state media and the community at large, not just in Owensboro but across the state. And for me personally, Kevin was someone who taught me that if you are going to do a job, no matter what it is, give it your all, and always settle for nothing less than your very best.

This was, in my eyes, the creed that Kevin lived by, and the legacy he leaves us all. Owensboro will not be the same without his smile, his endless amount of energy, and his deep faith in God.